Blast-Birmingham 2006

On the site of the oldest railway station in Birmingham, the Blast team presented an aural explosion in celebration of the City’s steam-driven past. Fire and water combined, creating an explosive mixture of steam, sound, fire and pyrotechnic marvels, including the awe-inspiring Large Hot Pipe Organ, the unforgettable Orchestrated Steam Whistles, the Fire Horns, the Percussion Engine, Pyrotechnic Whistles, Flying Rockets, Pyrophones and Balls of Fire.

The event stimulated many weblogs and reviews :

“Fascinating stuff, fantastically well produced and not only one of the best things I’ve seen come out of Birmingham in recent years, but one of the best performance pieces I’ve seen full stop. The great thing about it is that it encapsulated so much of the spirit of Birmingham as a city into a single work. No hiding away from the truth behind what this city is about and where its roots lie. Industry and art work hand in hand to beautiful effect.”

“A steampunk symphony, a cacophony of hot noise, fireworks, flames …”

“I was so blown away (intellectually, emotionally and just plain viscerally) that I had to go again on Saturday with my camcorder so that I could never forget what I had seen. “

“… the team at Urban Fusion have shown significant vision in commissioning such a daring and relevant piece, so my congratulations to them.”

“Fascinating stuff, fantastically well produced and not only one of the best things I’ve seen come out of Birmingham in recent years, but one of the best performance pieces I’ve seen full stop. The great thing about it is that it encapsulated so much of the spirit of Birmingham as a city into a single work. No hiding away from the truth behind what this city is about and where its roots lie. Industry and art work hand in hand to beautiful effect.”

“I was so blown away (intellectually, emotionally and just plain viscerally) that I had to go again on Saturday with my camcorder so that I could never forget what I had seen.”

“The centrepiece of the festival programme was Blast, an exhilarating celebration of Birmingham’s industrial heritage through a mesmerising mix of pyrotechnics and performance art.” Myvillage.com review

“Even the trains from Moor Street were stopping to see the extravaganza. It was so good, I had to go and see it the next and final night that it was on. Even my hard to impress friend agreed that it was amazing. All in all, it was incredible, world class.”

“It was a performance of a standard that any city could have been proud of but it could only have taken place in Birmingham. The whole thing oozed with an understanding and love of the city from its industrial past to its unknown future. This was Birmingham art, ticking all the boxes and towering above all else…….If it were a Tate production there would have been national press and features on Radio 4…. This is the sort of public art event that Birmingham deserves, being inclusive and fun but not afraid to aesthetically and intellectually challenge. It’s a shining example of what city-specific art can be and I cannot thank and congratulate all those involved, from the performers to the organisers who pushed this project forward, enough.”